Apparatus for unloading wheeled vehicles of the bottom-discharge type



H. F. H. SHIELDS APPARATUS FOR UNLOADING WHEELED VEHICLES OF THE BOTTOM-DISCHARGE TYPE Dec. 12, 1944.

Filed June 10, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Q Q Vw By Herbert F Dec. 12, 1944. H. F. H. SHIELDS 2,364,876

APPARATUS FOR UNLOADING WHEELED VEHICLES OF THE BOTTOM-DISCHARGE TYPE Filed June 10, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet :2

A fiorneys Patented Dec. 12, 1944 APPARATUS FOR UNLOADING WHEELED VEHICLES OF THE BOTTOM-DISCHARGE TYPE Herbert Frederick Henry Shields,

London, England Application June 10, 1943, Serial No. 490,340 In Great Britain April 21, 1942 2 Claims. Cl. 214-44) This invention relates to methods of and apparatus for unloading wheeled vehicles of the bottom-discharge type, such as railway wagons, containing fragmentary materials of various kinds, such as coal, gravel and the like, hereinafter referred to generally as coal, and loading the same.

In coal-stocking and reclaiming plants used heretofore, the coal wagons have run to' and from a wagon tippler on one pair of rails of a railway track, and a travelling loader of the drag scraper type for filling empty wagons has been arranged to run on an adjacent pair of rails to prevent the loader from interfering with the running of the loaded and empty coal wagons on their track.

An important object of the present invention is to obviate the necessity of providing two distinct tracks, one for a tippler or other unloading means, and a second for-the loader, and to arrange the loader and unloading means in an improved manner.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved construction of apparatus which shall enable wheeled vehicles of the bottomdischarge type to be unloaded in an improved manner.

According to an important feature of the invention there is provided apparatus for unloading wheeled vehicles of the bottom-discharge type, comprising in combination a main frame that is arranged to travel along a ground track, an upper track that has end portions constituting ramps that slope downwards to rails on the ground track, which upper track has a middle portion carried by the cage for supporting a loaded wheeled vehicle therein, lifting means that is mounted on the main frame and is arranged to lift the cage with the loaded vehicle therein bodily and place it at a situation vertically above a position at the side of the ground track, at which a pile of fragmentary material is to be formed by emptying the loaded vehicle, which lifting means comprises a runway that extends outboard upwards from a situationvertically above the middle portion of the upper track, a pulley 0n the outer end of the runway, and suspension means for carrying the cage arranged to travel along the runway, and powerdriven ,means that is arranged to operate the lifting means and comprises a winch supported on the main frame, and a rope that passes around said pulley and has one end attached to the winch and its other end operatively connected to the suspension means.

One embodiment of the invention is diagrammatically illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is an end elevation showing one form of apparatus according to the invention portion 34, 36.

forunloading and loading wheeled vehicles ofthe bottom-discharge type, and

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof. Like reference characters designate like parts in both views. a 7 Referring to the drawings, apparatus for unloadingrailway wagons of the bottom-discharge type compris s a gantry-like mainframe, designated generally l0, of arched construction. This frame In isrectangular-as viewed in plan and; in end elevation, and has front and rear longitudinal sides l4 and 16, respectively, and two ends I8, 2!]. The frame is carried by two bogies I9 and 2| having wheels 22 and 24, respectively, arranged to run on rails 26 on sleepers 21 of a ground track, on which empty and loaded railway wagons can run to, through and from the frameas described hereinafter. Levelling and load-distributing means in the form of hydraulic or manually operated jacks 29 may be provided at theends of the frame,-.and/or if desired along one or both sides thereof, for distributing the load when working and for levelling the main frame. I The frame Hl is'provided with a short upper track having two sloping end portions 30, 32 constituting ramps, and" a horizontal middle This .middle portion, has between its ends 34 adetachable central portion 36,

as described hereinafter, the end portions 34 as to swing about horizontal and vertical axes,

and they slope downwards to the rails 26 of the ground track. This upper track is the same gauge as the rails 26 and lies. above and travels on the ground track when the frame 10 is moved' along the latter;

Unloading means for a bottom-discharge wagon 42 having wheels 44 on the upper track comprises a rectangular portable cage 46, whereof the bottom 48 carries the'central part 36 of the upper track. The top 56 of the cage has at its ends suspension means comprising two hangers 52, 54 respectively equipped with pulleys 56,1

58 arranged to run respectively on two beams 60, 62 of an inclined runway that extends from the'framework llloutwards and upwards from a situation above the wagon 42 on the upper track to a situation vertically above a position at the side of the ground track 26, at which a pile of coal 64 is to be formed by emptying a loaded wagon. These beams 66, 62 are supported respectively by lattice-girder structures 6!, 63

tied together'by bracing 65,

Hauling means for the cage 46 comprises a winch having two haulage drums 66, 68 that can be driven in the same'direction by an elec- 1 the outer ends of the beams 60, 62 respectively,

of the runway, and have their other ends attached to the hangers 52, 54, respectively. This hauling means enables a loaded wagon resting on the rails 32 in the cage 46 to be moved to its outer position shown in broken lines in Figure 1, in which position by opening bottom doors of the wagon the coal can be discharged to form the pile 64, which can be stocked-out by a drag scraper bucket, not shown. The bottom of the cage preferably also carries a deflecting plate or chute 88 extending from end to end' thereof and arranged to deflect the falling coal away from the frame ID.- After a wagon has been emptied and the cage has been returned to the middle of the framework, the empty wagon can be'run off the upper track, down one of the sloping ramps 30, 32, and onto the ground track 26.

As described so far, the apparatus, constituting an unloader, is adapted for unloading vehicles of the bottom-discharge type, and does not obstruct the transit of either empty or loaded wagons on the ground track.

When the apparatus described 'above is to be used also for loading such vehicles, the main frame I!) may be' provided with loading means 1 of the drag scraper type-comprising a coal ramp 90 that has an outlet SI and is'mounted on 1 the main frame above the upper track to swing about a horizontal axis at 92, and a scraper from the vehicles by movingthe vehicles bodily to a situation at one side of the track to form at the side of the track a heap of material,

' stocking-out the heap by a drag'scraper to bucket, not shown, attached at" the front and I 1 rear to a drag line hauled by power-operated 1 means on the main frame.

It will be appreciated that when the appara-.

, tus is provided with such loading means of the drag scraper type, empty wagons to be loaded can be run successively on to the upper track in the apparatus for receiving coal from the loading ramp 90, and after being loaded with the coal ramp 90 in its lower position shown in broken lines, can then run on to the ground 1 track at the opposite end of the framework,

while loaded wagons to be emptied; can run succage, and after being unloaded at one side-of 1 the ground track, the empty wagons can be returned on to the upper track within the main frame and run down on to the ground track.

the ground track. To permit the coal ramp 90 to swing down to its lowest position indicated in broken lines, the front longitudinal member 1 at the top of the'cage 4G is cranked, as indicated at 94in Figure '1.

I The invention thus provides for stocking-out cessively on to the upper track and into the j The apparatus, which then forms a combined loader and unloader, also forms no obstruction to the transit of either empty or full wagons on form a dump, and returning the empty vehicles to the predetermined position on or above the 'bination a main frame that is arranged to travel along a ground track, a portable cage situated thereon above the ground track, an upper track that has end portions constituting ramps that slope downwards. to rails on the ground track;

which upper track has a middleportion carriedby the cage for supporting a loaded wheeled vehicle therein, lifting means that is mounted on the main frame and is. arranged to lift the cage with the loaded vehicle therein bodily and place it at a situation vertically above a position at the side of the ground 'track,- at which a pile of fragmentary material is to be formed by emptying the loaded vehicle, which lifting means comprises a runway that extends outboard upwards from a situation vertically above the middle portion of the upper track, a pulley 0n the outer end of the runway, and-suspension means for carrying the cage arranged to travel along the runway, and spower-driven means that is arranged to operate the lifting means and comprisesa winch supported on the main frame, and a rope that passes around said pulley and has one end attached to the winch and its other end operatively connected to the suspension means.

2. Apparatus {for unloading wheeled vehicles of the bottom-discharge type,;comprising in combination a main frame that is arranged to travel along a ground track, a portable cage situated thereon above the ground track, an upper track that has end portions constituting ramps that slope downwards to rails on the ground track, which'up'pe'r track has a middle portion carried by the cage for supporting a loaded wheeled vehicle therein, lifting means that is mounted on the main frame and is arranged to lift the cage with the loaded vehicle therein bodily and place it at a situation vertically above a position at the side of the ground track,-at which a pile of fragmentary material is to be formed by emptying the loaded vehicle, which lifting means comprises arunway that extends outward upto support the cage therefrom, and power-driven coal from loaded vehicles by means of apparatus of the drag scraper type arranged to run on a ground track, by successively running loaded bottom-discharge vehicles along rails of the ground track to a predetermined unloading position, preferably situated at an. elevation above I i the ground, at the apparatus, removing coal means that is arranged to operate the lifting means andcomprises a which having two rop'e drums supported on the main f-rame,and two ropes one. allotted to. each rope drum, ,each of which ropes passes: round one of said pulleys and has one end attached to its allotted winch, and the otherend operatively connected to the suspension. means.

HERBERT FREDERICK HENRY SHIELDS; 

